The Significance of the Ending of Enduring Love

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The Significance of the Ending of Enduring Love

The endings of Enduring Love hold important significance to the whole

novel. The 'endings' refer not only to the final chapter, Chapter 24

but also to the appendices I and II.

After reading the last chapter readers are bound to be left with the

feeling of unfulfilment. The appendices, particularly the case study

in Appendix I, provides a lot of resolution that is not given in that

final chapter or any other chapter in the novel. The Appendix I is a

case study reprinted from The British Review of Psychiatry, by Dr

Robert Wenn and Dr Antonio Camia. It is a case study Oliver Burkeman (The

Guardian reporter) proclaims to 'detail the terrifying real-life case

on which the story is based'. It provides us with the case from which

the book was apparently based upon and provides us with resolution as

to where the narrative would continue to from the end of the last

chapter. But the major significance of this is that the case study is

infact false and the British Review of Psychiatry does not exist.

'I can confirm that Appendix I of Enduring Love is fictional, based on

the novel that precedes it rather than the other way around' admits

the author, Ian McEwan. He has set this up so manipulatively that the

two supposed authors of the British Review of Psychiatry, Dr Robert

Wenn and Dr Antonio Camia are fictional and whose surnames together is

fascinatingly an anagram of Ian McEwan's name.

McEwan's use of psychiatric lexicon, quotes and overall format all

have been used expertly into fooling us to believe that this is a real

scientific case study. Although, some clues are visible to its

aut...

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... infact not the ending. McEwan's narrative does not

end with the final chapter but it secretly extends into the appendices

that follow. McEwan manipulatively uses them to allow us to believe

that the narrative was based on a real life story aiming to provoke

shock from the reader, while also providing us with resolution to the

narrative. He finally does conclude his narrative with a letter from

Jed Parry which readers will, based on appendix I, either believe to

be real or based on a real letter. It also allows the reader to fully

acknowledge the insanity and delusion in which the character exists.

This actual ending of the novel is a very significant last voice as

the image of Parry living in his insanity will leave a bearing

impression on the readers mind knowing that people like this exist in

their very own reality.

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